Female Umpire Debuts at Little League Series
Far East champion Kaohsiung of Taiwan, defeated a mostly American team from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 9-4, Tuesday in a game that featured the first female umpire in Little League World Series history.
Betty Speziale of Dunkirk, N.Y., was the first-base umpire in the series opener at Williamsport, Pa.
“It was great,” Speziale said.
Passers-by called, “Good game, Betty,” to the 35-year-old payroll clerk. Several stopped for autographs or to shake her hand.
Speziale, chosen by Little League officials as one of 11 umpires in the tournament, said she had dreamed of being in the series since she went to a Little League umpire school in 1978.
Speziale had two close plays but no controversies. “The nerves were there but that kind of builds the intensity,” she said.
In another Little League first, Victoria Brucker of San Pedro, the first girl to play in the series, will make her debut today.
In Tuesday’s other game, Trumbull, Conn., defeated Davenport, Iowa, 4-3.
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